Duplicity IC Inbox [ un: jbenjamin ]

[cicatrize]

you've reached jack benjamin. clearly, I have better things to do.

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Comments

[cicatrize]

possibly
i broke things in front of steve rogers and now he won't leave

[ yes. it is definitely that that is the issue. good job, jack. ]

[mofi]

the hell is steve rogers?
tell him to fuck off.

[cicatrize]

[ jack legitimately barks a laugh out loud at that. ]

i would love to see you come try that

[mofi]

why?
im not looking to get choked again.
PS that happened.

[cicatrize]

because i tried it and im a lot scarier than you and it did nothing
wtf who choked you?
should i have them killed?

[mofi]

listen
pal.
i can be scary if i need to be.

[cicatrize]

im sure you can dear
if you think you can beat me out on it be my guest
test your scariness on the guard dragon

[mofi]

[good because murphy doesn't want to talk about the choking.]

i will be right on over
honey

[cicatrize]

see you soon pumpkin

[ this is actually the first mildly amusing thing to happen since this whole shit show started, and jack raises his lame ass out of bed, dressed in nothing but the boxer briefs he was sleeping in, shuffling out of his bedroom with his comforter wrapped around him like some old russian granny.

he's just going to shuffle right past steve, grab a chair, and pull it up to a prime spot to watch this interaction go down at the front door. okay, booboo, he's ready for you.

ps, he'll get that choking story out of you yet, my pretty ]

[mofi]

here i go

[His chest had loosened by the end of the conversation and was feeling a lot less lonely now.

Was Jack being serious about being under house arrest? I guess Murphy was going to find out in a few minutes.

It didn't take much time at all, just a quick elevator trip to Jack's floor. Murphy silently traipses across the corridor and stops at Jack's door. He takes a deep breath in, and raps his knuckles gently on the door.]

[ex_serum683]

❰ something is happening. steve can tell, because jack has left his room and dropped into a chair in view of the door. he doesn't have a lot of time to ask questions, because shortly after jack's appearance, there's a knock at the door.

ah. so that's what jack's up to. steve almost — almost — smiles, and crosses to the door, opening it just a crack. ❱

Can I help you?

[mofi]

[He hears the faint sounds of footsteps and Murphy takes a half of a step back. The door doesn't open fully and the voice on the other end doesn't sound familiar.

This must be Steve Rogers.

What a stupid name, Murphy thinks to himself.] You can help me by opening up the door all the way, first of all.

[ex_serum683]

❰ jack, you have such charming friends.

steve opens the door only far enough so that he can lean against the jamb, one hand keeping the door mostly closed, with his body blocking the view into the apartment. ❱

Any more requests?

[mofi]

Yeah [,Murphy starts.] I have got a list so I hope you brought a pen and paper with you.

[He's stepped closer to the door now.] You got my friend locked up in his own place. But, hey, I'm here now so you can go back to minding your own business.

[ex_serum683]

❰ murphy steps closer and steve doesn't move. nor does he twitch, or raise his eyebrow, or do anything to indicate he gives any kind of shit what murphy wants or is trying to do. ❱

I'm not in the business of inviting strangers into homes that aren't mine. I'll tell Jack you stopped by.

❰ and he leans back and begins to close the door. ❱

[mofi]

Stranger? [You're the stranger, Steve! Not him! You are!] Listen. asshole.

[Murphy sticks his foot between the door and its frame.] Have Jack invite me in, then.

[ex_serum683]

❰ alright. steve generally doesn't do this, because he's not an asshole and he doesn't want to scare people just because he's a freakof science. but when murphy's foot holds the door open, he pauses for a moment before swinging it open again. not enough so that he could slip inside, but enough so that steve's frame is clearly visible, standing at his full height, arms crossed over his chest. ❱

If he wanted me to, he'd have mentioned already.

❰ being as he's literally around the corner. ❱

Leave. I'm not going to ask again.

[mofi]

[Murphy really wasn't prepared and he should have been since he was acting so bold just a mere few seconds ago. Stupidly, he blinks. Steve was a little taller than what Murphy was expecting. There's slight tip upwards to Murphy's chin to look directly at his face.

God. Does he lift weights all day?] Oh. [Murphy takes a big step back, so he's out of Steve's reach. You know, just in case.

Why hadn't Jack said anything yet?] Jack [Murphy calls out, past Steve.] Can you tell Randy Savage to cool it?

[cicatrize]

[ jack's silent as he listens to this exchanging going down, a grin on his pale, splotchy face with his lip bitten between his teeth. it looks out of place, and maybe unsettling, considering there's still dark circles under his eyes and red rimming them as well, but this is quality entertainment. he isn't offering murphy any help, though, because that is cheating. he can battle the dragon by himself.

at least, until he can practically hear the mental scream murphy has to be letting out when he sees the full frame of steve 'brick shithouse' rogers, and it comes out plenty enough in dubbing steve here the macho man himself. jack can't help letting out a cackle, his head falling back. okay, okay, steve said the Not Asking Again thing and he doesn't want murphy being turned into a pretzel, so Jack pushes up from his chair finally. ]

Down, boy. Don't break him, I actually like that one. [ btw, steve, meet your new grandson. like father like son - they're both fighty little pricks. ]

I invited him over. You can cavity search him if you want, but I didn't ask for any substance smuggling this time.

[ex_serum683]

❰ you're too young to have kids, jack.

but at his voice, steve turns to face him, not appearing to pay murphy any more attention — though of course, if murphy tried to take advantage of that apparent lapse in watchfulness he'd be sorely surprised by just how much attention steve is actually paying him. ❱

It's not really substance abuse I'm worried about, Jack.

❰ considering you tried to goad him into kicking your ass multiple times throughout this whole drama. the concern in his voice is genuine, though, and the corners of his lips are upturned — he liked hearing jack laugh, even if it was ever so slightly at steve's own expense. ❱

[mofi]

Substance abuse? [One of Murphy's eyebrows arches higher than the other, a sharpened gaze is shot at the back of Steve's head.] And he's not touching me, [Murphy says, firmly. By the looks of it, Steve can pick him up and break him across his knee. No thanks, not today, Jack.]

You going to let me in, Steve Rogers? [His tone is sardonic and can easily grates on anyone's nerves (even someone who's a super soldier).]

[cicatrize]

Mr. Rogers here, [ Jack starts, by way of explanation, and maybe that's said with the purposeful reference to a sweater wearing children's legend, ] thought because I wanted information from him, that it gives him the right to decide how I cope with it. Forgot to mention that clause before it happened.

[ Jack explains as he paces his way over to the door, coming into proper view of Murphy when he gets to Steve's side, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, put falling off on one side. Eyes steady on Steve, Jack reaches an arm out, extending it to Murphy like he'll just pull him safely right through the door. It'll be easy to see, on that hand, the ugly scabs from broken glass across the back of his hand and his forearm, and the bruises a deep purple forming over his knuckles. ]

Let him in. I'd get more out of fighting a wall than trying to get Murphy to fuck me up. [ Murphy's a vicious thing, sure, but he has no real training so far as Jack knows, and that against someone who's lived on a war front is deeply unfair. Steve he'd tried to goad into hitting him, because Jack knows he can't beat him. Murphy he likes to much to risk winning against him. ]

[ex_serum683]

❰ that's not what this is about and steve hopes jack knows it, but that's not something he'll say in front of murphy. just give jack significant eyebrows and a bit of a frown, radiating disappointment and disapproval in that way that only parents really can. ❱

I'll go down to Bucky's, ❰ he says, stepping aside for jack to pull murphy in. ❱ Let me know when you want me to come back.

❰ he's trusting you to call him back, jack, so please don't make that trust misplaced. let him take care of you again when you're done with murphy. ❱